9to5mac is reporting a series of alleged changes in the next iPhone, including RAM, processor, and camera upgrades. But, it is the new Assistant software that they believe will be the key feature of the iPhone 5.
According to the report, Assistant will be based on the Siri platform, and will be the evolution of the Voice Control software that first appeared with the iPhone 3GS.
9to5 pointed out that the software was not finalized when sources provided details about Assistant, and that features could change by the time it hits the market. The features their sources described, however, are pretty sweet.
Apparently, starting the software will be the same as launching Voice Control, but it is much faster to load up and with slicker graphics. That, however, appears to be where the similarity ends.
According the report, Assistant “is literally like a personal assistant, but in your phone.” The speech interpretation is apparently so precise that you won’t have to even speak very clearly or slowly; instead you’ll just speak as you normally do, and Assistant will understand.
So what might Assistant do? Well, according to the report, the possibilities are vast. Imagine being able to speak on the fly into your iPhone to do the following:
- make appointments that load right into the iCal
- set reminders that tie into Reminders
- ask for directions and get a GPS-based response using Maps
- create and send text messages through Messages
- request specific songs to be played from iTunes
- speak back and forth with Assistant in “conversation view” to get the best results
- locate your friends using “Find my Friends”
- ask knowledge questions and get immediate answers through integration with Wolfram Alpha
- vastly improved speech-to-text using Nuance that ties into Pages as well as Messages and Mail
It looks like we’ll have to wait until the first week of October to get an official announcement about whatever it is that Apple will be launching; if these Assistant rumors ring true it looks like we could be using the iPhone 5 in completely new ways.
Adrian covers daily news as well as the weekly Law & Apple column for MacLife.com. You can follow him on Twitter, if you want to.
